An Cao, whose family owns the Pho-Hoa restaurant at 4717 El Cajon Boulevard.
— John Gibbins

"I’m a huge fan of pho. Why? Because, no matter when you go, you’ll always get a remarkably consistent product. It’s soup. Made the same every time, every day. Giant bowls of filling soup (and tripe, and rare beef, and tendon, AND brisket). The fresh basil and cilantro, with a twist of lemon or lime, and mixed with rich beef broth = the cure-all. Need cure for a head cold? PHO!

I spent many sweltering hot days of summer at a booth slurping down boiling beef soup. Why would I eat soup on a hot summer day? BECAUSE IT’S DELICIOUS! and filling. and cheap. and kinda sketchy... I prefer two joints: Pho Ca Dao (where one can enjoy various traditional Vietnamese dishes), but, particularly Pho Hoa because all’s they’s do’s is soup. There’s something great to be said for a business that has a singular focus. Love it!"

— Anthony Schmidt, bartender at Noble Experiment

"Two institutions are present in nearly every single community in San Diego: taco shops and bars. The latter is sure to have local beer and, nowadays, at least something passable, if not thoughtful, to help sop it up. While the proliferation of the former is one of the things that makes me so happy to be a local. No matter where you are in SD, there’s some joint mere blocks away serving up some incredible tortilla-swaddled mound of decadence that I can’t wait to get my hands on and my mouth around even when there are plenty of other available options!"

— Brandon Hernández, food writer

"Grandma’s. Go to your grandma’s between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Grandma is ready to serve you, she’s probably been working on it all day. That’s her time."

— William Bradley, executive chef at Addison

The Chocolate Souffle at Chocolat, on Fifth Avenue in Hillcrest.— Sean M. Haffey

"Coffee is my typical, late afternoon solution. There’s never a bad time of day to support your neighborhood independent coffee shop. Buy a straight cup o’ joe and a pastry and you’ll escape for under $5 bucks. I’ve been known to stop into Krakatoa in Golden Hill to grab their house coffee and a blueberry muffin. Or if you’re not a coffee drinker and prefer premium teas, try Tea Upon Chatsworth in Point Loma. They offer “Cream Tea” service, an in-between meals experience consisting of two signature Chatsworth scones with rose-petal jam and fresh fruits, along with a pot of premium tea. Reservations suggested."

— Gerald “Dex” Poindexter, publicist, avid diner

"Hillcrest’s Saigon on Fifth is a great escape in the late afternoon. Service is a little more relaxed post lunch-rush, though still very attentive. I usually sip fresh green coconut water (Ngoc Dua) as I peruse the menu — it perks up my palate. If it’s been a particularly rough day, I piggyback the coconut with a classic Vietnamese Iced Coffee (Café Sua Da). The soul-satisfying bowl of Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup, eaten traditionally as breakfast) is simple, refined and still a large portion. But it isn’t the ghetto-Pho burgeoning with tendon & tripe you find elsewhere for $5-7 a bowl. This Pho’s broth is light, clean and consommé clear. The crab-asparagus soup is also very good. And the creamy basil salmon and the spicy Hue sea bass are my favorite dishes. The baked eggplant, too.

And nothing caps a late lunch better than gelato. Chocolat’s is made in-house, and they just happen to be down the street. I dig the cantaloupe, pineapple, spicy dark chocolate and pistachio. Okay, okay… I’ll have an espresso, too!"